Running-gear for vehicles.



No. 897,270. y PATENTED SEP'Ipl, 1908.

` W. H. CHAPIN.

RUNNING GEAR POR VEHICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED DB0.11, 1905.

@gli 'UNITE-ID STATES PATE WILLIAM H. CHAPEL OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACIIUSETIS.v

` RUNNING-GEAR non VEHICLES.

To all whom it may concern: p

Beit known that I, WILLIAM H. CHAPIN, a

citizen of the,` United States of America, re-

siding at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts,- havejinvented new and useful Improvements in' Runmng-Gear for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification. a.

This invention re'lates to vehicles and the' object thereof is to provide a neumatic support fr a platform supporte on Wheels, the pneumatic supports being located between the platform and the wheels, and the construction being such` that the shocks and vibrations imparted to thewheelsby the ine-Y road. By means of this invention practi- 'cally' the same effect may be attained as by the use of pneumatic tires for the wheels, so

far as the taking up of the vibrations is concerned.

The invention is particularly applicable to l y self-propelled vehicles, and in this applicajcation,-Figure 1 is with the body remov -side elevation of the same. elevation showing a slight modification of the construction embodied in the preceding figtion it is shown and described -as'a plied thereto, but it is obviouslyequally app icable to any type of'vehicle. -v

In the drawings forming part of this a plidplan View of a veliicle showing the application of my invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a Fig. 2@ is a side ures. Fig. 8 is afront lelevation of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing part of an axle` and one of its supports in section.

Referring tothese drawings, in which like vletters of reference'refer to like parts in the different figures, aj indicates the frame or platform on which the body ma bemounted and on which the motor woul also be supported if the vehiclel were ofthe self-propelled type.. This frame, as shown herein, is made of angle-iron4 pieced together in the form of a rectangle and provided withtransverse brace-bars b; this particular frame however may be regarded as purely conventional and any other better suited to a particular use substituted therefor.

- Specification of Letters Patent. Application inea December 11, 1905;, 'serial No. 291,286.

l Patented sept. `1, 190s.

The front and rear axle supports lare sub-l stantially the same', and a description of one will suflice. If used on a motor" vehicle,

however, of course the rear axlewould'preferably be provided 'with suitable differential gears ,which any one skilled in the artwoul'd 'be capable'of applying to the. construction.

The front axle (the description -of which, together with its supports will clearly set NToFFIoE.

forththe construction as applied tofeither j axle)l is? indicated byc, and on its extremities the wheels d,d are mounted on knuckles swinging-on vertical pivots in the usual way. This axle-is supported in the forward end of two arms e, e pivotally supported on a horizontally disposed axis consisting of a shaftf 4 which referably extends across .the frame or plat orm a and which shaft in turn is supported in the vertically slotted brackets g depending from the under side of thel sidemembersof said frame, suitable springs h, h

being interposed between 'the end y.of the shaft and the upper and lower'borders of the vertical slot in the brackets. This permits a certain degree of vertical movement of the ends" of the shaft, either independently or together, up or down. Preferably, the arms e, e follow the general line ofthe sides of the frame for aY short distance -back from the wheel-supporting ends thereof, yand their rear ends turn inward toward the center' of the frame, all as shown in the drawings,- -and preferably, though not necessarily, these arms are made separately and may swing separately on their common axis, the shaft f.

shaft f and is rovided with a cup-shaped member 'e1 whic overlies a pneumatic cushion i.' The latter may be-made long enough to permit both members e1 to bear thereon or separate cushions may be provided for each member'. These cushions are supportber y' having arms 7c at the ends thereof which may be bolted to the cross-brace b' of the frame orv other suitable part thereof. members e1 and do not entirely inclose the cushions '11, but the edgesof said members are suiiiciently separated to permit the compression of saidcushions, without permitting said edges to come together. -In case of the deflation of thecushion, however, the portion thereof between said edgeswould bulge out and be- -compressed between themfproviding a more or less resilient buffer for the parts.v Near 'the front ends of said arms e, e

.Each ofvthese arms e, e extends beyond the t ed ina cup-shaped or trough-shaped memf These other pneumatic cushions lml are interposed between the frame and thearms, supported in the same manner as the cushion "L, and all of the cushions areprovidedwith a tube 11., ,shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose of inilating them. In said Fig. 2 one of the cushions is shown in section andis seen to'be provided kwith a casing of leather or other suitable material m1.

In Fig.A 2a4 a modification of the labove de# scribed construction is shown which consists 1n provldmg a commonaxls for the wheelframes at'either end, which yaxis in that case would be located centrally of the frame, transversely thereof.

tain uses for which a vehicle maybe designed, the axis on which the wheel-frames are pivoted may be fixed instead of vertically movf able, but lthe latter is the preferred construction.

, The pneumatic Icushions i,- may be made in the-same manner as vthe pneumatic tires now in general use, and provided with the usual tube fn, whereby they.may be iniiated, the

cushions being of cylindrical or spherical shape and capable of withstanding whatever internal air ressure may be required to su port the loa theyare to carr These cus ions should be inclosed ina ieatheror other suitable casing to rotect themfrom wear.

. To adapt the vehic e to different loads or to vary the action of the cuhsions i and m, `the degree of inflation thereof may be varied.

In any event the cushions i would bear a greater degree of inflation than the cushions m owing to the difference in the length of the leverage of the parts acting upon them.

The length of those portions of the arms of the wheel frames lying on opposite sidesv of the shaft f may be varied to suit the use to which the vehicle may be designed for, or to accommodate the placing of themotors on the frame, or the'location `of the transmission devices on or underl the frame,-and such differences in leverage as may` result from such change of form may be com ensated for by thesize, or the degree of in ation of the cushions or both.

IFrom the above description of the conmovement would accommodate whichever side of the frame were lifted independently,

by yielding The pre axles in the arm e is illustrated 1n Fig. 4 and vertically at theproper time. erred manner of su porting the i't consists in fitting a ball c1 on the axle and should one Wheel alone be raised, as in assingover an obstructioninthe road. Th construction as shown in Figs. land 2 is opera tive that is to'say this ball and socket connection shown in Fig. 4- is not absolutely necessary for a plane cylindrical bearingv `forxthe axle is provided as shown in Fig. .1

and one Wheel should then pass over an .ob-

struction, there would be no undue strain put upon the arts owing to the yielding movei ment of w 'chthe shaftf is ca able'. Furthermore, for cer- I do not claim broadly a whee hung onan arm p'ivoted under the body ofy a vehicle and having ay sprin ap lied to its rear endwhich is com ressed y t e movement of the body vertica ly, for such construction is generically old, being shown for example in United States Letters Patent July 4, 1871.

to Reichert No. 1 16,756 dated Having thus described my invention., what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:-. v

' 1. A vehicle runnin gear comprising a frame or latform, a w eel-frame consisting of an ax e, two supporting arms therefor,

means to pivot said arms between their .extremitieson an -axis parallel with said axle,

and pneumatic cushions disposed at op osite 4 making the bearing on the end of the armin two. parts adapted to inclose said ball to the end that the axle may not'bind in its bearing ends of the su portin arms, one on eac -side of the ivota point't ereof, to yieldingly restrict t e movement of the ends of said arms in opposite directions.

2. A vehicle running gear comprising a frame or platform, an axle, `a wheel-frame consisting of arms disposed longitudinally of the frame and Aembracing said axle near each end of the latter means to support the Wheelframe on said platform on an axis parallel with the axle, s'aid axis bein arranged -to yield in. a direction atan ang e to the plati iform, and pneumatic cushions' disposedl at opposite ends of the sup orting arms be- -tween thelatter and suita le abutments to permit independent vertical movements of said arms.

3. In a running Wheel frame, a horlzontally disposed axis on which said frame may swing; an axle supported in spherical bearingstin the forked end of said frame, said bearings and frame being learfor vehicles, a forked I arranged to permit'vertical movement of one A end of said Y axle and one of the fork-'arms of said frame independently; together with a' pneumatic cushion located between the arms of the forked frame and a suitable abutment.l I

4. In a running gear for vehicles, a forked wheel-frame, va horizontally `dis -osed, vertically yielding axis on which sai frame may swing an axle su prorted in bearmgsin the forked end of sai ame, said bearmgs and frame being arranged to permit 4vertical movement of on'e end of said axle and one of p support on which said arms may swing, which the fork-arms of said frame independently; together with avpneumatic cushion located between the arms of the forked frame and a suitable abutment.

5. A wheel-'frame comprised in the running gear of-a vehicle consisting of two arms disposed longitudinalbT of the vehicle, *an axle extending between two ends of said arms, a

supp ort is located between the two extremities of said arms, a, pneumatic cushion located betweensaid arms and suitable abutments on said platform, at either side of said axis.

6. In a running gear for vehicles, a forked Wheel frame, an axle vcarried in the forked 'extremities thereof, a sup ort `for the wheelframe disposed transverse y thereof, capable of movement in a vertical lane, on which the frame may swing on a orizontal axis,

and a pneumatic cushion located between said frame and a suitable abutment on the plat.

form of the vehicle.

7. In a running gear for vehicles,an axle,a l forked frame secured thereto7 a transverse p pivotalA axis for-the forked frame and supported on the platform,cushion means for re= siliently supplorting the ends of the axis and permitting t e same to have a vertical movement relative to the platform at either or both ends of the same.

. WILLIAM H. CHAPIN.

Witnesses: GEORGE F. PERKINS,Y K. I.' CLEMoNs. 

